Gun attachment.



No. 655,577. Patented Aug. 7, I900.

W.IPELL & WHEELDON.

GUN ATTACHMENT. A num and m n, 1000.

(lo Nodal.)

NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM IELL, OF FLEMINGTON, AND ISAAC IVIIEELDON, OF ELSTERN WICK, VICTORIA, ASSIGNORS-TO SAID \VHEELDON.

G U N ATTACHM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 655,577, dated August 7, 1900.

Application filed May 11, 1900- Seriol No. 16,368- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we,W1LLIAM PELL, residing at-Flemington,nearMelbourne,and ISAAC VVHEELDON, residing at Elsternwick, near Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or for Use in Connection with Rifles, Revolvers, or the Like; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art toiwhich it appertains to make and use the same.

By thisinveution we provide improvements in rifles, revolvers, and like firearms or for attachment thereto or in connection therewith, but always with the object of enabling any soldier or individual carrying such weapon who meets with any barbed or other wire entanglements or obstructions to immediately sever such wires by the same operation in every case-that is, by shooting.

The inventionwould be of extreme value to troops in those cases where a rapid advance is undertaken in order to storm an enemys position and where the enemy had so laid barbed or other wires that the advancing troops would come suddenly and unexpectedly upon them and would thus receive a serious check if there were no means at hand of promptly cutting the wires. a time the advancing combatants might be under fire and would, as a rule, have their rifles in hand, in action or ready for action, with or without bayonets fixed, and the problem we have solved is how to enable them to cut away wires then met with without their having to take their hands away from their rifles or interfere in any way with their readiness to shoot or to bayonet their foe.

What we do in our invention is to provide a means of so locating the wire (to be severed) in the path of a rifle or revolver bullet-that the firing of the rifle or revolver will do the rest-that is, will sever the wire.

The term wire in this specification will be used to include also two or more wires twisted or otherwise held together, as is usual in the manufacture of barbed wires or any similar obstruction. \Vhere the initial velocity of the bullet is high enough, no resistance (or At such leaden bullet of anarmy revolver to readily punch out a piece of wire (even when of tough steel) of a length about equal to the diameter of the bullet.

In thejdrawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation the muzzle end of a rifle with bayonet fixed. The rifle is not altered, but the part of'the bayonet which fits over the muz- .zle is provided with a guide or recess to enable the wire to be suitably located for severance by shooting. In Fig. 2 part of a revolver is sketched in side elevation, and the barrel is shown recessed near the muzzle to enable the wire tobe suitably located for severance by shooting. In this case resistance-surfaces for the wire to bear against are provided. Fig. 3 shows in longitudinal vertical section part of a firearm-barrel, the muzzle being provided with an attachment having a recess for localizing the wire and having also resistancesurfaces. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing part of a rifle-barrel altered so as to contain our invention in two forms without any attach- 8o ment to said barrel. Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partlyin longitudinal vertical section, show- -ing part of a rifle-barrel with bayonet fi'xed,

there being in this case an attachment to the barrel. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing an attachment to a rifle-barrel with connection by bayonet-joints, a barbed wire being shown as it would be located prior to firing, except that the short piece of the Wire which would be cut out by the bullet is omitted.

It will be seen that all forms are alike "in having means for locating the Wire in the path of the bullet.

The letter a represents guide edges or sides of a recess provided to insure central loca- 5 tion of the wire in the path of the bullet, the middle of which path is shown by line 70. The surfaces a are wide apart where the wire enters and slope or lead inward toward the path is.

Figs. 2 to 5 are alike in having means not only for the central location of the wire, but

also a bed or support for the wire, which provides the resistance aforesaid. The support acts like a die in a punching-machine and the bullet acts as the punching-tool. The surfaces forming the resistance we therefore call the die and each die is marked 1) in the drawings.

Letter 0 shows the barrel, and d its bore..

The bore of that part of the barrel or of the attachment which is on the outer side of die I) is best made larger than bore (1, so as to give ample room for the punched-out piece of wire, as well as the bullet striking it, to get free of the firearm. Such enlargement is marked ein Fig. 3, and it may either be gradual or abrupt.

The mode of connection of an attachment is immaterial. Thus Fig. 1 shows the utilization of the already-existing connection between the rifle and bayonet. In this view the guard-ringf might be further modified to provide a die instead of simply a localizingrecess. In Figs. 3 and 4 the attachment screws on, while in Fig. 6 barrel 0 has a suitable nu-mber of projections h at intervals around it, the attachment havinga like number of slots 21, the combination forming abayonet-joint. Other methods of joining are obvious. The recess when at the extreme end of the barrel or of any attachment thereto or in front thereof may be so shaped as to provide a die. No die is shown in Fig. 1; but in Fig. 4 either of the surfaces marked on could act to some extent as a die, and that extent could be increased by altering the form of the recess. In all cases the die is backed up by enough metal to afford the necessary strength.

We have now so described our invention as to enable it'to be understood and carried into efiect by any mechanic of competence in the art in the forms shown and in any others which our'invention obviously covers-that is, in which the substance or pith of the invention ispreserved-the details being obviously capable of considerable modification. If the wire be severed, even though a piece is not cut out, that would still be our invention if V the bullet acts as the severing agent and mechanical means, as described, be employed to locate the wire to be fired at.

What we claim as our iiwention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a device otthe character described,.

the combination with the muzzle of a firearm; of means for seating a wire or the like transversely across the bore of the firearm, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with the muzzle of a firearm; of an attachment therefor provided with means for seating a wire or the like transversely across the bore of the firearm, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with the muzzle of a firearm of a bayonet provided with an attachment adaptedto fit upon said muzzle, said attachment being provided with means for seating a wire transversely across the bore of the firearm, substantially as described.

4. In a deviceot the character described, the combination with the muzzle of a firearm; of an attachment adapted to be secured upon the said muzzle, said attachment having a transverse recess adapted to receive a wire or the like, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with the muzzle of a firearm; of an attachment provided with screw-threads adapted to engage with corresponding screwthreads upon the said muzzle, said attachment having a transverse recess adapted to receive a wire or the like, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with the muzzle of a firearm; of a bayonet provided with an attachment adapted to fit upon said muzzle, said attachment being provided with a transverse recess adapted to seat a wire or the like transversely across the bore of the firearm, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM PELL. ISAAC VVHEELDON.

- witnessesz" G. G. Tums, W. H. CUBLEY. 

